Professional and Ethical Conduct
What the domain tests
Professional and Ethical Conduct tests the standards expected of a registered guard: lawful use of authority, honesty, confidentiality, and respect. A guard is a private citizen with citizen's powers of arrest, not a police officer.
Core rules
- A guard may make a citizen's arrest where an offence is committed in their presence, and must promptly hand the person and the facts to the police; detention must not be punitive.
- Force must be reasonable, necessary, and proportionate. Deadly force is not justified merely to protect property.
- Searches require consent or a lawful condition of entry; a guard cannot conduct an intrusive search by force. Ask, explain, and call the police if consent is refused.
- Confidentiality: do not discuss clients, residents, incidents, or access codes outside a need-to-know circle.
- Reports must be factual, timed, and written promptly in the occurrence book; distinguish observation from opinion.
- Do not sleep on post, abandon post, consume alcohol or drugs on duty, accept bribes or improper gifts, or discriminate against any person.
- Cooperate with the police and PSRA inspectors; identify yourself and produce your registration card.
Worked example
A guard sees a shopper conceal goods and walk past the till. The guard confronts the shopper, demands the bag, and physically searches it. Even if a theft occurred, the forced search is not authorised. The guard should identify themselves, request the shopper's cooperation, call the police, and use only minimum force if an arrest is lawful and the shopper resists. The report should record times, observations, and witnesses, not conclusions such as "thief".
Traps that cost marks
- Claiming police powers of search or detention.
- Using force to recover property after the person has left.
- Writing speculation or insults in the occurrence book.
- Gossiping about a client's security arrangements.
- Accepting a "thank you" gift that creates an obligation.